The urban plan for the city-centre of Zeist provides for necessary architectural interventions, but is mainly concerned with the quality of public space. Identified characteristics of Zeist have been projected on the city centre. By doing this the centre will be much greener and facades will be restored to what they used to look like. The urban plan defines three different shoppingzones, each with their own atmosphere and type of shops. By banning cars a continuous and compact shopping area with pleasant pedestrian streets emerges.
A big part of the urban plan is the redevelopment of the library. VVKH aims to reuse the building as much as possible. The building is less than 30 years old and apart from the closed facades it functions well. In the new design we make shoppingfacades on the ground floor, moving the library to a new part of the building. On top we planned 58 apartments with a shared garden. Reuse of the existing building may demand an extra effort, but offers a very sustainable sollution and saves on investments.
| Architects | Gerrit-Jan van Rijswijk |
| Employees | Tijmen Versluis |
The Rijneke Boulevard in Zoeterwoude is a busy shopping area with a dated appearance. The complex has its back to the Rijn. We have developed a vision to renovate and expand the boulevard in stages. The Rijn is also more involved in the shopping area by creating harbors.
The first phase starts on the west side of the complex. In this phase, the first building has already been renovated (completed in 2016) and the expansion of 6,000 m2 of retail space started in January 2018. The shopping area is organized around the old harbor of the Heineken factory, where the hops used to be unloaded.
The team with VVKH Architects, Dura Vermeer and Besix has been selected for the design and build of a five-story underground parkinggarage in the historical center of Leiden.
The plan ‘de Biezenhof’ is part of the new residential area ‘Waterrijk Woerden’ and is situated along a natural watery region. The urban scheme of ‘Waterrijk Woerden’ was designed by West 8 and refers to the traditional Dutch water cities such as Delft and Leiden. The design is made in collabiation with Klunder architects. Almost every dwelling is individual and has a specific connection to the water.
The plan of Biezenhof is divided in two parts: there is one block of family houses around a courtyard on the edge of the lake, and there is a row of water houses and apartments along a canal.
The buyers of the houses could choose between several types of houses as well as between four architects. Due to the possibilities in combining type and architect, not one house is the same. Every house has a singular character: the lake houses have a beautiful view on the lake, the street houses have a garden, and the canal houses enclose big terraces. In the public space there are a few parking places, the majority of parking places are organised in garages.
The houses designed by Knappers are characteristic because of the huge roof overhanging the façade. This contributes to the shelter-against-the water identity of the houses, and refers to the greenhouse glass constructions in the low lands. At the street side these houses are made of brick, which gives them a closed and open (to the light and the water) individuality.
The “Meerwijk” district in Schalkwijk, built in the 1960s, has been built on the corner of Bernadottelaan and Albert Schweizerlaan. This center is part of the urban design that was made by our office in 2001. The building with retail spaces, including the Vomar supermarket, an underground parking garage with 215 places and 74 apartments, is one of the sub-plans of the community center. The whole has a modern, transparent and friendly character and adapts well to the neighborhood.
